The vote will keep Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in office and prevent an immediate plunge into an election.
OTTAWA — In the end, the election suspense in Ottawa was short-lived and Liberals can thank Quebec separatists for that.
“We already had those conversations many times and this motion contains absolutely nothing. It essentially says do you want to replace Justin Trudeau with Pierre Poilievre? So, the answer is no,” he said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Poilievre said he would be tabling a motion of non-confidence next Tuesday that will be up for debate that day, with a vote set to happen on Wednesday. The Bloc voting against it means the Liberals will have enough votes to remain as the government.
The Bloc had already said that it would not vote for a motion of non-confidence that would include any mention of a carbon tax. So, Poilievre’s motion simply read: “The House has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government.”
Blanchet compared the move to asking the Conservatives to vote non-confidence against the federal government because it was not promoting Quebec independence.
“Pierre Poilievre would say: ‘well, I can’t do that.’ Well, there you go. I cannot do that.”
Blanchet said that does not mean that he has “confidence” in the Liberal government.
The Bloc has long argued this is discrimination for people of ages 65-74 and said in recent days that a change of heart on this file would guarantee his party’s support.
The Bloc’s decision means that the NDP is off the hook — for now.
On Wednesday, Conservatives and Liberals were pressing NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to say if his party was either going to move for or against the non-confidence motion.
“The decision will be up to Jagmeet Singh and the NDP,” said Poilievre on Wednesday.
“Are they going to vote to keep this costly Carbon Tax Prime Minister in power? Are they going to sell out again or are they going to vote to trigger a carbon tax election so that Canadians can choose to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime?”
Singh said earlier this week that his party will take a close look at each vote that comes before them in the House of Commons, reflect on it and make a decision.
“Everything is on the table,” he said. “We’re not ruling out anything.”
Liberals know that the stakes are very high for the NDP now that the Pharmacare Act is in the final stages in the Senate. The legislation, which also makes contraceptives and diabetes medication free in Canada, could be adopted as soon as Thanksgiving weekend.
Government House leader Karina Gould said there are consequences from the NDP pulling out of the deal.
“This is real. This is not a game,” she said. “The fact of the matter is, is that what we do in this place matters and it has real and tangible consequences on the lives of Canadians.”
“What Mr. Singh did when he backed away from the supply-and-confidence agreement, which was his decision, is it demonstrated that, again, he didn’t understand what the consequences were,” she added.
Health Minister Mark Holland said his party will be ready for an election if one is called, but he believes the opposition parties are misreading the mood of the Canadian electorate.
“I think that all parties are going to be in for a wake-up call,” he said. “If they’re charging the hill, demanding an election and demanding politics, I think they’re going to find that hill is empty.”
Holland, who previously served as Liberal House leader, said negotiations are part of what happens in a minority parliament. He said that, with minority governments likely to happen more often, politicians will need to adapt.
“Do we want them to be a festival of partisanship where it’s a non-stop circus of ego and interest, or do we want them to be substantive about sitting down and working through the problems of the country, not just jumping to an election every time something gets hard.”
Other Liberals shrugged at the idea of a confidence vote next week.
“Well, the Conservatives are going to do that every chance they get,” said Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he thinks it is important to get “this first one out of the way.”
National Post
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